Rotary closure with internal, separately fillable capsule comprising film seal to be opened by means of rotation

ABSTRACT

Rotary closure includes a separately fillable capsule with a foil seal, for the insertion of this capsule into this rotary closure. The container attachment at the inside forms a downwardly projecting sleeve with an inwardly projecting edge region whose clear width is spanned at the bottom by a diametric saw blade which projects upwards with its cutting teeth. The capsule in the inside is firstly driven axially downwards on rotating the rotary closure cap and with its sealing foil is pressed over the saw blade, by which means it is diammetrically cut open. On further rotation, it lies on the lower inner edge of the inner-lying sleeve in the container attachment and is then rotated without an axial movement. The sealing foil is thereby cut open, and the foil pieces are gathered together in a corrugated manner.

This invention relates to a rotary closure, into which a separately fillable capsule can be inserted, said capsule then being automatically opened and its contents falling into the container of the container provided with the rotary closure, when opening the rotary closure.

Many drinks are nowadays produced by way of mixing a concentrate with water. Instead of distributing the finished mixture, it would be much more efficient if the bottler were able to merely fill with water on location and if the concentrate were not added to the water in the bottle until at the consumer, by way of opening the bottle for the first time, and this concentrate then being mixed with the water. The same also applies to bulk material such as effervescent powder and the like.

Different such capsule closures have become known for this, for example from WO2012/175317. This fillable closure serves for activating the emptying of a separately filled capsule which belongs to this closure. It consists of a closure cap which can be screwed onto the threaded spout of the container and into which the separately filled capsule with a downwardly directed sealing foil of the capsule can be inserted from below in the closed condition. The upper side of the inserted capsule is designed in a deformable manner and can be pressed axially downwards, so that the downwardly directed sealing foil of the capsule breaks or bursts. An axially downwardly projecting profile is integrally formed on the lower side of the closure cap and fits into a recess in the deformable upper side of the inserted capsule, said recess matching with the cross section of this profile. The outer, lower corners of the recess are pressed onto the sealing foil of the capsule by way of pressing down the profile into this recess. Since the sealing foil comprises weakening lines and the corners meet the bisecting lines of the circle segments formed by the weakening lines, after bursting open these weakening lines, these circle segments should be pivoted downwards from the corners and held in the downwardly pivot position.

WO/2009/1005444 shows another solution. Here, the fillable closure with a push button for activation consists of a skirt for screwing or knocking onto a container neck, and of a closure cap which can be pivoted away about a hinge connection to and onto this skirt and which can be clicked in. A separately fillable container which is closed at the bottom by a sealing foil able to be pierced or cut open, can be inserted into the skirt. The closure consists on the one hand of two components, specifically of a skirt with a piercing and cutting device which is arranged at its lower side and which has upwardly projecting teeth, as well as of a closure cap, as a common single-piece injection moulded part, and on the other hand of the separately manufactured, filled container which is closed with a sealing foil. The closure cap comprises a cap cover with a deformable outer annulus, so that it forms a pressing disc which can be irreversibly pressed downwards in the axial direction. A downwardly directed receiving sleeve which can be pushed over the container inserted upside down into the skirt is formed on the lower side of the closure cap and this sleeve is movable exclusively in the axial direction and is envisaged to act as a guide element of the container. The container can be pressed downwards by way of pressing down this cap cover with the separately manufactured and filled container which is inserted upside down in the skirt with the sealing foil directed downwards. For this reason, the downwardly moving sealing foil is pierced and cut open by the piercing and cutting element.

Further known solutions operate with an arch-like capsule which is formed from the closure itself at the lower side and which is closed at the bottom by a sealing foil. The capsule can be pressed down for opening, by which means a cutting element pierces the sealing foil from the bottom and from an edge side or brings the foil to burst open by way of a stamp which is arranged in its interior. However, the opening of the sealing foil is always effected in an uncontrolled manner to some extent. The foil is either only cut open from one side, so that a part of the capsule content often does not flow out or is not poured out, or however it is firstly tensioned from the inside by the punch or the opening element and finally bursts precisely at the weakest location, on account of which the arisen opening is irregular and is not defined, but arises randomly and likewise does not ensure a reliable emptying.

It is the object of the present invention, to create a rotary closure with a separately fillable capsule, said capsule being sealed with regard to oxygen and water vapour and, if required also being able to be designed in a UV-opaque manner, wherein the rotary closure should be able to be designed in an even simpler manner, so that its inner-lying capsule can be reliably and completely opened by way of simply rotating the rotary cap. With this, it is to be ensured that the capsule contents are firstly optimally protected from external influences, and when required and on opening the rotary closure for the first time, that the contents drop into the container provided with this rotary closure, in a reliable and complete manner. Moreover, with a given spout diameter, the capsule should be able to provide larger filling volumes than conventional solutions.

This object is achieved by a rotary closure with an inner-lying, separately fillable capsule with a foil sealing, for the insertion of this capsule into this rotary closure, wherein the sealing foil of the foil sealing is openable, so that the capsule contents drops into the container provided with the closure, and which is characterised in that the closure is designed in a three-part manner and consists of a rotary closure cap, of a foil-sealed and beaker-like capsule which can be inserted into the rotary closure cap in the overturned position, and of container attachment for screwing onto the spout of a container, wherein the capsule is designed at least in an oxygen-tight and water-vapour-tight manner, by way of it being manufactured from a polymer absorbing water vapour and being closed with an oxygen-tight sealing foil, and that on rotating the rotary closure cap, the capsule can firstly be driven downwards in the container attachment in a purely axial manner, and after diametrically cutting open the sealing foil by way of a diametric saw blade with at least one cutting tooth on each radial side, said cutting tooth projecting upwards and having sharp edges, can be rotated at the lower end of the container attachment by way of contact on this attachment, so that the sealing foil along its outer periphery can be cut open by approximately 180° and gathered together in a corrugated manner, by two cutting elements which project at right angles from the saw blade.

One embodiment example of this rotatory closure which can be charged with a capsule and is for emptying is represented in the figures. The rotary closure is described hereinafter and its function explained by way of these figures.

There are shown in:

FIG. 1 the rotary closure with its three parts, before the assembly, seen from the side;

FIG. 2 the three parts of the rotary closure arranged on the same rotation axis, in a view obliquely from above;

FIG. 3 the three parts of the rotary closure arranged on the same rotation axis, in a view obliquely from below;

FIG. 4 the assembled rotary closure with its three parts, in a section, slightly in front of the diameter with the saw blade;

FIG. 5 the saw blade with the outer cutting elements, on cutting open the sealing foil.

In FIG. 1, one can see the capsule with its three parts, from the side and before the assembly. It consists of a rotary closure cap 1, of a capsule 2 which here forms an overturned beaker which is closed at the open end by a sealing foil 26, as well as of a container attachment 3. The rotary closure cap at the outside has a corrugation 4 or fluting, so that it can be better griped and rotated. At the lower end, it is provided with a guarantee strip 5 which is held on the rotary closure cap 1 via a few fine material bridges. The capsule 2 is preferably manufactured from a polymer which absorbs water vapour. A main polymer as a main component ensures the structure of the packaging product, wherein an active polymer component provides the desired characteristics such as the absorption of moisture and oxygen. Alternatively or additionally, the inner or outer side of the capsule 2 or both sides can be coated with a barrier layer against the passage of oxygen and water vapour. A UV impermeablity of the capsule 2 can also be achieved with a barrier layer at the inside or outside. The capsule 2 has a specially designed base. This base, lying at the top due to its overturned position, is shaped such that it forms several oblique V-shaped recesses 8 which drop radially outwards, each form a V-shaped cross section and are distributed over the periphery. Several ribs 6 which ascend in the direction of the periphery are integrally formed on the base, and these ribs each form a ramp which ascends in the clockwise direction. At the bottom, the capsule 2 is closed by a sealing foil which after the separate filling is sealed on in the upright position. This filling and sealing of the capsule 2, with regard to location can be effected remotely from the location of the assembly of the three parts. At the bottom, the edge 7 of the capsule 2 projects laterally to a slight extent, wherein it is interrupted by recesses 9 at a few locations. The container attachment 3 can be recognised below the capsule 2. Two arc-shaped ribs 10, between whose ends an intermediate space 12 is left open in each case, stand on the upper side of this attachment, said upper side forming a plane annulus. At the outside, outwardly projecting prominences 11 are integrally formed in each case on the arc-shaped ribs 10 at their middle. At the bottom, the container attachment 3 runs into a sleeve 13 with a reduced diameter, and temporary supports 14 project slightly inwards on this sleeve. Two dogs 15 are moreover integrally formed on the container attachment 3 at the outside, at two diametrically opposite locations. The function of all these elements will become evident hereinafter by way of the description of the function of the rotary closure.

Firstly however, FIG. 2 shows the rotary closure with its three parts arranged on the same rotation axis, in a view obliquely from above. One can recognise the flat upper side of the rotary closure cap 1, the flat base of the beaker-shaped capsule 2 with the oblique recesses 8 which are V-shaped in cross section and which are recessed into the edge of the capsule base in an outwardly dropping manner, as well as the ribs 6 which run on the capsule base along the its outer peripheral edge. Again one recognises the arc-shaped ribs 10 with the intermediate spaces 12 between their ends, as well as the prominences 11 integrally formed at the outside, on the container attachment 3. Firstly, axial guide rails 10 are shaped out in the inside of the container attachment 3, as well as temporary supports 14 which project a little into the interior and serve as temporary supports for the edge 7 of the capsule 2 which the latter is inserted into the container attachment 3. The temporary supports 14 hold the capsule 2 in this position, as long as the rotary closure is not actuated. They ensure that the sealing foil 26 on the capsule 2 remains intact until the deliberate opening.

FIG. 3 shows the three parts of the rotary closure arranged on the same rotation axis, in a view obliquely from below. Here, the view to the inside of the rotary closure cap 1 is clear and in this, one can recognise a receiving skirt 16, into which the capsule 2 with its base in front is inserted. The oblique recesses 8 thereby come to lie below the ribs 18 in the inside of the receiving skirt 16, wherein these ribs 18 are integrally formed on a ring 17 at the outside, running a radial direction, wherein the ring acts as a support for the capsule base. One can moreover recognise two stop dogs 24 which are arranged diametrically opposite one another and which act as rotation limiters, in the inside of the rotary closure cap 1. The next component is the capsule 2 which is represented here without a sealing foil 26, so that the view into it is clear. One can recognise the recesses 8 at the top, which is to say on the base of the capsule 7. The container attachment 3 is shown at the very bottom. The sleeve 13, into which the capsule 2 comes to lie when the parts are assembled can be recognised on this attachment 3. Thereby, the capsule 2 with its recesses 9 in its edge 7 is pushed over the axial guide rails 19, and its edge 7 finally comes to stop on the temporary supports 14. Given a sufficient pressure upon these, they give way or yield and let the edge 7 of the capsule 2 pass by them amid slight deformation of the edge. A diametrical saw blade 20 with upwardly directed cutting teeth extends over the lower clear width of the sleeve 13. In the example shown here, this is a whole number of triangularly shaped cutting teeth, wherein the upwardly directed sides are designed as sharp cutting edges. The saw blade 20 however can also be designed such that only a single cutting tooth with a cutting edge running obliquely to the plane of the foil plane is formed on at each radial side. What is important is that the cutting edges run obliquely to the foil, so that on lowering the foil over the saw blade, a cutting movement results at least at one cutting tooth or at several cutting teeth. The container attachment 3 is provided with an inner thread 21, so that it can be screwed onto the outer thread of a common container spout. Two stop dogs 15 which are arranged diametrically to one another are integrally formed on an outer shoulder 25 at roughly half the height of the container attachment 3 and cooperate with the stop dogs 24 on the rotary closure cap 1, so that with the opening procedure, this can be firstly rotated by just short of 180°. Only with an increased force can the rotary closure cap 1 be rotated further in the release direction which is to say unscrewing direction, wherein it then co-rotates the container attachment 3 and screws it away from the container spout.

The function of the rotary closure is described by way of FIG. 4. This shows the assembled rotary closure with its three parts in a section, slightly lifted from the plane of the drawing, in front of the diameter with the saw blade 20. The capsule 2 is now seated in the receiving skirt 16 within the rotary closure cap 1. The ribs 18 run exactly within the oblique recesses 8 in the capsule base which now lies at the top. At the bottom, the capsule edge 7 rests on temporary supports 14 and with the recesses 9 in the edge 7 is pushed over the axially running guide rails 19, so that it is held and guided on these in a manner in which it is secured against rotation, and the capsule 2 consequently cannot rotate in the inside of the container attachment 3. In this initial position, in which the closure with the filled capsule 2 in its inside is delivered to the bottler, the sealing foil 26 runs just above the tips of the cutting teeth of the saw blade 20. In this constellation, the rotary closure can be screwed onto a container spout, until, at its lower peripheral guarantee strip 27 held at a thin location or on a few material bridges, the ribs 22 latch beneath a peripheral projection on the container spout. The rotary closure is then assembled on the container in a reliable manner and with a tamper-evident feature.

For opening, the rotary closure cap 1 is rotated in the anti-clockwise direction seen from above. Thereby, firstly the guarantee strip 5 breaks away from the rotary closure cap 1 and this cap can be rotated further. By way of this, the capsule 2 is driven downwards without rotation by way of the ribs 18 on the rotary closure cap 1, said ribs thereby acting upon the slanted surfaces of the oblique recesses 8. However, the capsule 2 cannot rotate due to the guidance of the recesses 9 on the guide rails 19. The capsule therefore undergoes a purely axial movement downwards, and thereby the edge 7 of the capsule is finally pushed further downwards over the temporary supports 14, and the sealing foil 26 is pushed down over the cutting teeth of the saw blade 20. A clean diametrical cut arises in the sealing foil 26 and finally the capsule 2 with its edge 7 comes to rest on the projection 23 which projects inwards on the lower sleeve end. Once it has arrived at this position, the lower edge 7 has passed the lower edge of the guide rails 19 and the capsule 2 is thus released for a rotation. The capsule consequently co-rotates on continued rotation of the rotary closure cap 1.

As to how the sealing foil is then opened, can be deduced from FIG. 5, wherein the saw blade which is represented here, as a variant comprises a cutting tooth with an upwardly directed sharp cutting edge, at both edges of this saw blade in each case. The cutting elements 28 which are angled completely outwards by 90° and point in the peripheral direction each comprise an obliquely descending sharp cutting edge and seen from above point in the clockwise direction. On rotating the capsule 2, these cutting elements then cut the sealing foil 26 along its periphery, in each case at diametrically opposite sides and in its same direction, as is drawn by the arrow. Thereby, the subsequent saw blade radials gather together the semicircular sealing foil segment lying in front of them, in a corrugated manner similarly to a curtain, so that the passage downwards into the container is cleared to the maximum extent and the contents of the capsule can therefore reliably drop into the container. If the rotary closure cap 1 now continues to be rotated, then the stop dogs 24 in the inside of the rotary closure cap 1 catch the dogs 15 on the container attachment 3 and thus rotate the complete container attachment 3 in the direction of opening. It is screwed from the container spout 3 amid the breaking-away of the guarantee strip 27, and the contents of the container can then be poured out.

The geometry of this closure design permits the formation of particularly large capsule volumes with respect to a container spout to be fitted. Capsules with a filled volume of up to 6 ml can be realised with a container spout of the size 28, as is the case according to the embodiment which is represented in the drawings. The opening of the sealing foil 26 is effected in a reliable manner and the opening of the closure requires no explanation, due to the fact that the rotary closure cap 1 only needs to be rotated in a single direction—the logical opening direction—until the closure is completely removed from the container spout. The adding of the substance from the capsule 2 into the container is thereby effected automatically as described above.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   1 rotary closure cap -   2 capsule -   3 container attachment -   4 fluting on the rotary closure cap 1 -   5 guarantee strip on the rotary closure cap 1 -   6 rib on the capsule base -   7 projecting edge of the capsule 2 -   8 oblique recesses in the base of the capsule 2 -   9 recesses in the edge 7 -   10 arc-shaped rib above the container attachment 3 -   11 prominences on the arc edge -   12 intermediate space between the arc ends -   13 sleeve -   14 temporary supports -   15 dogs at the outside, on the container attachment 3 -   16 receiving skirt, at the inside on the rotary closure -   17 ring on the base of the receiving skirt -   18 rib at the inside, in the receiving skirt -   19 axial guide rails at the inside, on the sleeve 13 -   20 diametric saw blade with two radials -   21 inner thread on the container attachment 3 -   22 ribs on the guarantee strip 27 of the container attachment 3 -   23 inwardly projecting edge, at the lower sleeve end -   24 stop dogs on the rotary closure cap 1 -   25 shoulder at the outside, on the container attachment 3 -   26 sealing foil -   27 guarantee strip on the container attachment 3 -   28 cutting element, running at right angles to the saw blade 20 

1.-9. (canceled)
 10. A rotary closure with an inner-lying, separately fillable capsule with a foil sealing, for the insertion of this capsule into this rotary closure, wherein the sealing foil of the foil sealing is openable, so that the capsule contents drops into the container provided with the closure, comprising a three-part manner and consists of a rotary closure cap, of a foil-sealed and beaker-like capsule which in the overturned position can be inserted into the rotary closure cap, and of container attachment for screwing onto the spout of a container, wherein the capsule is designed at least in a water-vapour-tight manner, by way of it being manufactured from a polymer absorbing water vapour and being closed with a sealing foil, and that on rotating the rotary closure cap, the capsule can firstly be driven downwards in the container attachment in a purely axial manner, and after diametrically cutting open the sealing foil by way of a diametrical saw blade with at least one cutting tooth on each radial side, said tooth projecting upwards and having sharp edges, can be rotated at the lower end of the container attachment by way of contact on this attachment, so that the sealing foil along at its outer periphery can be cut open and gathered together in a corrugated manner, by approximately 180°, by two cutting elements which project at right angles from the saw blade.
 11. A rotary closure with an inner-lying, separately fillable capsule with a foil sealing, according to claim 10, wherein the inner or outer side of the capsule or both its sides is/are provided with a barrier layer, for ensuring the sealedness with regard to oxygen, and that the sealing foil is an oxygen-tight foil.
 12. A rotary closure with an inner-lying, separately fillable capsule with a foil sealing, according to claim 10, wherein the inner or outer side of the capsule or both its two sides is/are provided with a barrier layer, which apart from the sealedness with regard to oxygen, also ensures a sealedness with regard to UV.
 13. A rotary closure with an inner-lying, separately fillable capsule with a foil sealing, according to claim 10, wherein the container attachment at the inside comprises a downwardly projecting sleeve for the axial guidance of the capsule in a manner secured against rotation, the clear width of this sleeve being spanned at the bottom by a diametrical saw blade which projects upwards with its cutting teeth, and ribs are integrally formed on the rotary closure cap at the inside, wherein these ribs act upon slanted surfaces of oblique recesses on the upper side of the overturned capsule, so that the capsule can firstly be driven downwards in a purely axial manner on rotation of the closure cap, and after diametrically cutting open the sealing foil by way of the saw blade, can be rotated by these ribs, so that the sealing foil along the outer periphery can be cut open and gathered together in a corrugated manner, by approximately 180°.
 14. A rotary closure with an inner-lying, separately fillable capsule with a foil sealing, according to claim 13, wherein the container attachment at the inside forms a downwardly projecting sleeve with an inwardly projecting edge region, the clear width of said sleeve being spanned at the bottom by a diametric saw blade which projects upwards with its cutting teeth, and the sleeve at the lower inner edge comprises temporary supports and axial guide rails, and the capsule with its sealing foil directed downwards comprises oblique recesses which are shaped out at its upper side in its outer edge region, into which recesses radial ribs on the lower side of the rotary closure cap engage, and on its lower, outwardly projecting edge comprises recesses for axially sliding over of the guide rails on the inner side of the sleeve, wherein the capsule firstly with its lower edge lies on the temporary supports, and by way of rotating the closure cap can firstly be pressed downwards axially along the sleeve beyond these temporary supports without rotation, whilst diametrically cutting open its sealing foil by way of the cutting teeth of the saw blade, the recesses thereby pass the lower ends of the guide rails at the bottom and the capsule with its edge subsequently lies on the projection, and on further rotation its sealing foil, along the outer periphery can be cut open and gathered together in a corrugated manner, by approximately 180°, by cutting elements which are integrally formed on the two ends of the saw blade in a manner running at right angles to this.
 15. A rotary closure with an inner-lying, separately fillable capsule with a foil sealing, according to claim 10, wherein the saw blade at its two radials comprises several upwardly projecting cutting teeth with sharp cutting edges, and in each case a cutting element is integrally formed on both ends of the saw blade at a right angle to the saw tooth plane, in a manner pointing in the clockwise direction seen from above and comprises an obliquely descending sharp cutting edge.
 16. A rotary closure with an inner-lying, separately fillable capsule with a foil sealing, according to claim 10, wherein the capsule has a filling volume of 3 to 6 ml.
 17. A rotary closure with an inner-lying, separately fillable capsule with a foil sealing, according to claim 10, further comprising a guarantee strip integrally formed at the bottom on the rotary closure cap via material bridges, as is a guarantee strip integrally formed at the bottom on the container attachment via thin location or fine material bridges. 